Friday, June 01, 2007

the mini-vacation was good. of course, we couldn't do everything that we wanted in two days, and because of some very bad directions ended up walking about 10 miles to a restaurant (after that, we didn't feel like walking anymore, so didn't get to go to the aquarium. so sad.), which is a very long and probably boring story, so i won't waste your time.

from the signature room (bar and lounge, 96th floor) in the hancock building

being in chicago makes dc look so... short.

yes, the midwest has beaches! here are are looking at lake michigan, for as far as the eye can see.

Ever hear of a floppy-faced Jujitsu? How about a King Daley shepherd? A Germox retriever? Those are just a few of the creative monikers that clever dog owners have come up with to label their all-American dogs — mutts, to people with less imagination.Why can’t a mutt be just a mutt?Everybody wants something unique, says Stanley Coren, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of "Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?"People who seek out the dog du jour — which these days is a crossbreed such as a maltipoo (Maltese/poodle) or goldendoodle (golden retriever/poodle) — like the idea of having a dog that not very many people have. And don't mind paying $1,000 to $2,500 or more for one.Best of each breed?Pet lovers are also attracted by claims that hybrids are hypoallergenic or have fewer health problems or will carry the best traits of each breed.“The argument people make is that by crossing a purebred Labrador and a purebred poodle, it’s going to be nonshedding and intelligent because poodles are nonshedding and intelligent, and it’s going to have the work ethic and playfulness of the Lab, making it the perfect family dog,” Coren says. “It’s a nice story, but when you tell it, geneticists laugh.”Genetic characteristics sort out randomly. So no matter what its breed or mix, an individual dog may be more or less allergenic, intelligent or healthy than another.“When you cross two things it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to optimize what you’re trying to achieve,” says veterinarian Patricia Olson, president and CEO of Morris Animal Foundation, a group in Englewood, Colo., that funds research on pet-health issues.“You can’t just say if I take this and this I’m sure I’m going to have a healthier dog; it doesn’t work that way. That’s why a lot of these crosses become fads and then go by the wayside, because people have experimented with them in the past and it hasn’t always been what they had hoped for.”Biniok says the mutts she has adopted from the shelter have never had the hereditary health problems that affected her two purebreds, a Great Dane and a Boston terrier.While mixed breeds as a class have more variety of inherited diseases than any single pure breed because of their broader gene pool, the frequency of any given disease among mixed breeds is likely to be lower because the population is more diverse.But because designer dogs are purposely bred from dogs of specific types or breeds, they may have a higher incidence of certain diseases, such as breathing difficulties, cancer or hip dysplasia, depending on the breeds used to create them. The Xolo (or Mexican Hairless) mixes have as many if not more health problems as the purebreds, says Amy Fernandez of Forest Hills, N.Y., who is president of the Xoloitzcuintli Club of America, for people with this scrawny, hairless breed.Not always a glamorous picturePlenty of hybrids are well-loved pets, but the ones that outgrow the “cute” stage can face an uncertain future.“Right now we are dealing with Xolo/Jack Russell mixes, Xolo/pit bull mixes, Xolo/Chihuahua mixes that we cannot find homes for,” Fernandez says.“People are happy to fork over big bucks to buy these dogs as puppies, but once buyers realize that what they have is a complicated, demanding dog, many of these hairless wonders end up in shelters or worse," she says. "At least once every winter we hear of hairless dogs intentionally abandoned outdoors to freeze.”When you want a dog that’s one of a kind, there’s no need to spend big bucks to get it. Visit your local shelter instead and come home with your very own roughcoated Malibu griffon, Golden Gate Chiwienie dog or North American mottled shepherd.Whatever you choose, and whatever you call it, the dog will be just as unique and special as a pricier pup.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

river had her staples taken out yesterday. everthing looks really good, the swelling has gone down and the bruising is almost completely gone. we also had a rehab session yesterday, where river walked over some poles that were about a foot off of the ground (think obstacle course), stood on a moving seesaw and flat out refused to walk on a treadmill. oh well.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

yesterday was day 4 after river's knee surgery. we took her for a rehab consultation at the veterinary holistic and rehabilitation center (http://vetrehab.org/) with dr. danoff. she seemed impressed with river's progress, especially because she puts weight on her bad leg. she showed us how to do some exercises with her to get flexibility back in her knee. she also gave river a shot of what is basically liquid glucosamine.we are still walking with the towel sling, especially up and down the steps (there is 1 step in our condo, 2 steps to get outside). this morning she seemed a little sore, but that's probably from all of the excitement yesterday. it snowed about an inch last night, and this morning she didn't want to put her foot down in the snow.river gets her staples out next tuesday.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

we picked river up from the vet this morning. she is alert, and seems to be as good as can be expected. she cried for a little while after we brought her home, but after an ice pack seemed to settle more comfortably.

she is supposed to be under strict confinement for 4 weeks, walking only to go outside to the bathroom.

river resting.

her leg is swollen, with a little bruising and you can see the sutures.

Friday, February 02, 2007

we dropped river off at the vet surgery center this morning at 7:30am. she is scheduled to have surgery in the late morning, with dr. nicholson. i'm so nervous for her, i almost started crying when we drove away.the ironic thing is that she wasn't limping at all this morning.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

we got river when she was about three months old. that was november, 2001. a little over five years ago. she began getting arthritic last march. we started giving her a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement, and the limping stopped.about a month ago, i took river and her older sister janka to the dog park. we were the only ones there, and they didn't run around much. we left after about 20 minutes. that evening, the limp was back with a vengeance. river wouldn't move, and snapped at us when we tried to touch her. for river, this is not only abnormal, it has never happened before. this is the dog who would lick a burglar to death.the next morning, she was fine. no limping, no pain. we didn't know what had happened, but we thought it had passed.two weeks later, we were out for a walk when she began the slight 'swagger' that usually means she's had about enough. then carlos looked at me and asked, "what's that noise?"it was a clicking noise, like snapping fingers."i think it's river" he said.i stopped walking, janka stopped walking. carlos and river went a few steps further, listening.the clicking came from her left rear leg.over the next few days, the clicking continued. it sounded like when you crack your knuckles. i took both dogs to petco to update their yearly vaccinations that saturday, and river went to the vet on monday.after x-rays, the vet said she had torn her cranial cruciate ligament, an injury pretty similar to a person who tears their ACL in a sports injury. she gave us the number of a surgeon.the surgeon recommended TPLO surgery. Click below to find out more about the surgery.http://vetsurgerycentral.com/tplo.htm

we have an appointment on friday. keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

toyota just came out with one. hm. but why do they have to make it look like a spaceship? honestly, people aren't going to be too interested in driving a hybrid that's ugly. although the added power does help. why can't hybrids look like other hot cars?

like these.

the new jaguar c-xf concept car. has a 4.2 liter supercharged v8 capable of over 420 hp.

the new maserati quattroporte with a 6-speed hydrolic automatic transmission (although i consider it cheating - cars like this need to be manual), also has 400 hp 4.2 liter double overhead cam v8.

saturday was the bachelorette of a good friend. we hit the spa, a tapas place, then went on our own little crawl through arlington.and i forgot my camera.sorry, guys. i'll post a couple if someone e-mails them to me.